You know when you look at someone and instantly get a sketchy vibe? Well, this is what happens to me every time Teresa Giudice brings her lawyer, James Leonard, onto Real Housewives of New Jersey. Sunday’s episode showed Tre and James dropping what they claimed to be a major bombshell about Margaret Josephs. But in reality, the news wasn’t anything revolutionary, and it struck fans as odd that an accredited lawyer would go on a national TV spot to bash someone so publicly. If James is anything like his client, Teresa, then he is a piece of work. But who is the real James Leonard and would he kindly stand up?
What is James Leonard’s education?
James attended the University of Wisconsin and earned a B.S. According to his LinkedIn profile. James studied at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law which is ranked 48 out of 196. After graduating in 2001, he went on to run his own periodical, Boardwalk Journal Magazine. This was a monthly South Jersey magazine covering both Atlantic and Cape May Counties. But in 2004, he left and started working for Leonard Law Group LLC. James now makes his living as a criminal and entertainment lawyer.
James has certificates in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Business and Commercial Law. According to his website, he lives by the creed, “On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms.”
Reviews of James Leonard
Personally, I don’t know if I would hire James as my lawyer. And if his Yelp reviews are any indication, he might not be worth his money. One customer wrote, “Biggest mistake I could have made! Forgot to tell me about a meeting with the prosecutor, judge threw ME in jail for missing the meeting. Wouldn’t accept calls from me in jail.” Another added, “I used James and I would not recommend it. James is a big scam artist, first he tells us no problem your case is easy shouldn’t be long, and the charges will be dropped so we trusted in him, but we’re obviously seriously misled.” On Yelp, Leonard Law Group LLC only has two stars.
James Leonard’s history with the Giudice family
On Sunday’s all-new episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, fans saw a familiar face when James came to the door. Almost immediately, he declared, “Listen, I love this family. And I’ll do anything I can to continue to help and maybe make others understand what you’ve all been going through. I think we just present facts and information and just bring some clarity to the situation.” As viewers know, James was the lawyer who represented Teresa before she went away to prison for bank, mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud.
The Atlantic City attorney noted, “I was involved with her in the weeks and months before she went to prison, and I can say that walking her into prison at 3 o’clock in the morning, she was less stressed than she has been for the last several months.” James was also at the New Jersey house when Teresa had her emotional return home from jail.
James Leonard is known in the Bravosphere
In a 2021 Instagram post, James lamented, “I want to tell you something about this scene. Obviously, I drove her home, so I was there. I purposely stayed behind in the garage because I didn’t want to ruin that moment; that was for the family. A few months later, one of the producers and I went to dinner, and she showed me the cut … If you listen, when she and I are walking past the dog cage, her mic picked up her heart beating out of her chest … that is absolutely the most authentic scene in the history of reality television.”
I am sure this won’t be the last time that we see James on the Real Housewives of New Jersey. As well as the family lawyer it seems as if he is a close friend of the Giudice/Ruelas family. In June, Gia Giudice, Luis Ruelas, and Teresa all celebrated James’ 50th birthday. The recent Rutgers grad wrote, “Happy birthday, James. Thank you for everything you do!! love you always xoxo.” With Tre wrote “Happy 50th birthday, James. Wishing you the best.”
TELL US — WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TERESA GIUDICE’S LAWYER APPEARING ON RHONJ?
